We commonly hold the assumption that our memories are an accurate representation of the past and the rational decisions we make are based on pure logical reasoning.
Little do we know that we are victims of a cognitive bias, a manipulation initiated by our own minds that can distort our thinking and even alter our memories. If in the past you thought you made a logical argument based on facts or you think you recall precisely precedent events, then it’s time to think again. Chances are that at some point or another your mind has been framed, a process known to psychologists as the framing effect.
The concept behind this framing effect is simply that the same option presented under different conditions will produce different decisions or perceptions. A phenomenon that can be observed in our everyday life. Is the bottle half full or half empty ? That is not the question. The question is which one you will be more willing to drink when looking to quench your thirst on a sunny afternoon if your friend offered you a half empty or half full bottle of water. Conditions which mean the same thing but if which presented under different contexts might result in different reactions.
Consider this study conducted in two different scenarios.
You work for the Disease Control department and there is an outbreak of a deadly disease in a village of 600 people. All 600 people in the town are expected to die if you do nothing. Someone comes up with two programs to help
With Program 1 : 200 people in the town will be saved.
With Program 2 : There is a 1/3rd probability that 600 people will be saved, and a 2/3rds probability that no people will be saved.
Which would you pick ?
Now consider these two programs :
With Program 3 : 400 people in the town will die
With Program 4 : There is a 1/3rd probability that nobody will die, and a 2/3rds probability that 600 people will die.
Unless your critical thinking skills are superior to those of the average mind or you have been going along with what I have been saying then you most likely picked program 1 and 4. In the study conducted, 72 percent of people picked program 1 and 78 percent of people picked program 4. On close inspection however you will realise that program 1 and 3 mean the exact same thing so do program 2 and 4. The only difference is the way the conditions are presented. So why not pick program 1 and 3 or 2 and 4. In one case 78 percent of people pick program 4 while in another only 28 percent of people picked it, illustrating the framing effect.
This presents the fact that many of the decisions we make are based on emotions implying that our reasoning is very susceptible to the way in which options are presented or framed. This consequently puts a question mark on human rationality and the extent of its reliability. Economists and marketers have long discovered this loophole in our reasoning and exploited it to their full advantage. We all know the powerful effect that advertising can bring with the way marketers try to make their products or services as attractive as possible.
In the world of politics is where this concept is most prevalent. Since the dawn of time, politicians have always framed information and presented it to the public with the intended purpose of not only reaching out to us but to our emotions as well with the goal of stirring them to mediate our decisions. Whether it is for inciting the public to vote for one candidate over another in an election, or driving people towards a specific cause. We have known one too many politicians that have been great orators and used this skill to not only control people but also drive them by the numbers to do at times good, but regrettably despicable things as well. This leaves one to consider if their great power and talent didn’t perhaps lie in our greatest weakness.
This cognitive bias does not only alter our reasoning but also our memories. Emotions play a substantial roll when it comes to recollection of past events. A study conducted by a famous psychologist consisted of having participants watch a traffic accident. They were then questioned about the accident. Some people were asked ‘About how fast were the cars going when they contacted each other ?’ Others were asked the same question but the verb ‘contacted’ was replaced by either hit, bumped, collided, or smashed. So there were 5 different ways of framing the question. Even though all of the participants saw the same film, the wording of the question had an impact on their answers. The speed estimates were 31mph for contacted, 34mph for hit, 38mph for bumped, 39mph for collided, and 41mph for smashed. One week later, the participants were asked whether they had seen broken glass at the accident site. The correct answer was ‘no,’ but 32% of the participants who were given the ’smashed’ condition said that they had. This is evident of the far reaching consequences that framing effects can have on us.
Framing effects are powerful and can have major influence on us with substantial results. However awareness of the existence of this cognitive bias can prevent us from being controlled by it. Knowledge is power and we can use this to overcome this psychological partiality that we are ceaselessly being subjected to. The next time you listen to a politician, an advert, or even anyone else, remember to always pay attention and ensure that you have the proper rational interpretation.
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